Poops

String Bean sat on the potty yesterday and tried to "push out the poopies" and was thrilled when some came out. Yes, I know this is a discussion only a mother of a toddler could love. Please note the name of this blog.

Upon finishing her business in the potty, she decided to call her family and friends and share her success. As always, Pop was the first on the list. Luckily, Nana was with him. Next it was Ama and Grandpa. Auntie Carolyn soon followed. Then Rob and Connie. After that, she wanted to call Lucy, so we did. After she hung up with Lucy's voice mail, she wanted to call Snoopy and Charlie Brown. (Which leads me to believe that the Lucy we called wasn't THE Lucy she was intending, but oh, well.) She finished the night of calling by calling Cashew, who is 2 1/2. Cashew simply said, "Hi, String Bean!" the entire conversation long.

Other than the call to Cashew, all other calls went like this:

String Bean (SB): Hi!
Mom or Dad (M/D): Tell them what you did.
SB: Poopies!
M/D: Where did you do the poopies?
SB: Potty!
M/D: What did you get for doing poopies on the potty?
SB: Chock (translation: chocolate)
M/D: Tell them your name.
SB now spells her name instead of saying her name.
M/D: Do you want to count?
SB: One, Two, Free, Four, Five, Six, Eye!
M/D: Say "Bye-bye!"
SB: Bye-bye! (long pause) Insert name of who you are calling.
Abruptly hang up.

Halloween Eve

Uncle John and Aunt Connie came to our home bearing gifts (ice cream and apple pastry stuff, plus a bear dressed up like candy corn for String Bean). String Bean put on her Darth Vader costume and showed off for everyone.

It is the start of a great weekend.

Happy Halloween!

Afternoon Delight

I know there is some connotation associated with the song of the same title as this blog post. I'm not implying anything other than a delightful afternoon.

I've mentioned before that String Bean has some foster grandparents. Neither my folks nor Mr. Bean's live nearby. At best, it is a 12 hour drive or a 7 hour flight for one or the other of our parents to make it. As you may imagine, we don't get a lot of visits from either set of String Bean's grandparents.

Well, Uncle John (foster grandpa) and "Aunt Connie (foster grandma) have a young adult son, who we refer to as Uncle Rob. Rob requested an afternoon with our String Bean and we settled on today as being the best day in our schedule to make it work.

Mr. Bean and I enjoyed a movie (Up) and dinner followed by ice cream. From the squeals we received when Uncle Rob dropped off String Bean, we knew she missed us. Aunt Connie and Uncle Rob took her to a local farm that had a pumpkins and a petting zoo. String Bean decorated Mr. Potato Head style a pirate pumpkin. She ate a lot of food and capped the evening with ice cream and the play land at McDonalds. What almost-two-year-old wouldn't LOVE that playdate?!

When all was said and done, we spent about $30 on our afternoon. If we'd had to pay for childcare (and if we had gone to the regular movie theater instead of the $1.75 a seat theater), we would have spent about $90 for the afternoon. Can't beat that deal.

Thanks, Rob and Connie!

Sleepover

String Bean had her first sleepover last night. Mr. Bean and I had to go to a wedding so we dropped her off with Uncle John, Aunt Connie and their adult children Uncle Rob and Aunt Leigh. She had a blast! Here are some photos to prove it!

John and Connie got new cabinets. One had a little shelf just right for String Bean's toys!

Photo by Connie.

Apparently this is where String Bean is stored when not in use. Please make note of the fashionable high-water pants! (Most of her pants are like that--thanks to a kid with no butt.)

Photo by Connie.

This lion costume was a big hit. Much growling ensued.

Photo by Connie.

Sticker Emergency

String Bean has found her passion in life: stickers. One of the reasons we survived our 12 hour (13 hour? Who is counting?) were the stickers my mother-in-law gave us. Oh, how thankful we are for the veterans and other organizations that send sticker address labels and holiday-themed stickers for the holidays.

The last couple of Sundays we attended our church, String Bean has enjoyed sitting in our Adult Bible Fellowship (Sunday School for adults) on our friend Connie's lap. I found out today that Connie, too, has a passion for stickers. They are a match made in heaven. What joy to find someone who loves what you love and you can share your passions with. When String Bean started to get restless, out came the stickers. Would you believe that Connie keeps stickers (hole punched and everything) in her day planner for just such a sticker emergency? All during the ABF today, they put stickers on one another and shared in their joy. Ahh, friendship.

This story really pales in comparison to Amy's story about her own little bean. Be sure to check back for that gem!